


Travelling Together

by JohnAmendAll



Category: Doctor Who (1963)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Obscure and British Commentfest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 11:59:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6905347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnAmendAll/pseuds/JohnAmendAll
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ace and Ray have a minor but essential task: distracting a Bannerman guard.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Travelling Together

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2016 Obscure and British Commentfest, from [flickawhip](http://archiveofourown.org/users/flickawhip/)'s prompt 'Doctor Who, Ace McShane/Ray (from Delta and the Bannermen), travelling together'.
> 
> Takes place in an AU where _Dragonfire_ came before _Delta and the Bannermen_ , so the Doctor's companion is Ace rather than Mel.

"This is where it gets rough," Ray called over her shoulder, as she guided her scooter off the road and onto a rutted track. She throttled back somewhat, for fear of a puncture, though with Ace hanging on behind her their speed hadn't been that impressive before. Ace's grip on her showed no signs of slackening, though. 

Stony and rough as the track was, it gave out after a couple of fields. Ray brought the scooter to a halt, and pulled her helmet off. 

"We'll have to walk the rest of the way," she said, indicating a stile leading into a patch of woodland. 

Ace nodded. "Run, more like." 

They clambered over the stile, and set off at a pace they couldn't hope to sustain. Within minutes they had reluctantly slowed to the fastest walk they could manage. The path led through what, considered objectively, was beautiful woodland, though neither Ray nor Ace had time to notice. 

After a few minutes, Ray held up her hand. 

"This is it," she whispered, once she'd caught her breath enough to speak. "We're close." 

The two crept forward on hands and knees, peering cautiously ahead. The woodland thinned here, and it was possible to make out the clearing where the Bannermen's spaceship had landed. One trooper stood on guard outside it. 

"Ready?" Ray whispered. 

Ace drew the catapult from her pocket. "Watch this." 

She placed a pebble in the elastic, pulled it back, aimed at the guard, and let fly. It seemed to her that the stone hit the spaceship; the man must have heard the impact, because he jumped and looked around. 

Her second shot went wide, but the third found its mark, hitting him on the helmet. The two girls dived flat as he drew his blaster and fired a volley of shots in their direction. 

"Think I got his attention," Ace whispered. 

The man was now advancing in their direction. And behind him, on the other side of the clearing, Ray could see the Doctor hurrying towards the ship, with Billy and Delta in hot pursuit. 

"One more for luck." Ace fired her catapult again. Then the two made their escape, wriggling through the vegetation on knees and elbows for the first part. More firing could be heard, but none of it seemed to come near them. Then they were on a path; Ray looked back to check that the guard wasn't in sight, and set off at the best run she could manage. 

This time, she didn't stop running until she caught her foot in a fallen branch and fell headlong, landing in a clump of dock plants. Before she could get up Ace was kneeling beside her. 

"You OK?" she asked. 

Ray, still lying prone, tried to move her legs. "I think so." 

"It's all right." Ace patted her shoulder. "Bobblehead must've lost us ages ago. Where are we, anyway?" 

"I don't know." Ray rolled over and looked around. "Oh. Here." 

"What's wrong with here?" 

"Nothing." Ray felt tears pricking at her eyes. "It's just... this is where Billy and I used to come. We used to talk about the future." The tears were rolling down her cheeks now. "I thought we'd be together." 

"Hey." Ace was sitting beside her now. "He's not worth breaking your heart over." 

"Easy for you to say. It's not your heart." 

She felt herself shaken. "Pull yourself together, Sunshine! This isn't any time to start moping!" 

"I can't help—" Ray began, and broke off at a stinging blow to her cheek. Staring at Ace in shocked disbelief, she raised her own hand to her face. 

"Look," Ace said. "Sorry, right? But if you started crying the place down we'd have Bobblehead after us in no time." 

Ray nodded. "You're right, I suppose." 

"'Course I am. Look, never mind breaking your heart, he's not worth getting yourself killed for. No bloke is." 

Ray dried her eyes. "What about the Doctor?" 

"He's not a bloke. Not like that, anyway." Ace's expression was contrite. "Sorry I hit you. D'you want to hit me back? Fair's fair." 

Ray raised her hand, as if to slap Ace, but found the most she could do was to bring it to rest on Ace's cheek. And stare at her, while everything she thought she knew about boys and girls and love turned upside down. 

"Sunshine?" Ace's voice seemed to be coming from an infinite distance. 

"Ace." If Ray had dared she'd have leaned in for a kiss. Instead she let her hand fall away. "Ace, I..." 

Ace took her hand. "Are you into girls?" 

"A minute ago I wouldn't have known what you were talking about." Ray essayed a smile. "It's going to take me a while to work things out. Except I don't have a while, do I? As soon as you've dealt with those Bannermen you'll be going..." She shrugged. "Wherever you came from, I suppose." 

"Perivale? Hope not. Boredom capital of the Universe." Ace moved closer to her. "You could come with us. See where we do end up." 

"Really?" 

"I'll ask the Professor— nah. I'll _tell_ the Professor. You up for it, anyway?" 

"Do you even have to—" Ray began, and broke off. Somewhere, at no great distance, a branch had snapped. "That's him, isn't it? He's still looking for us." 

"Could be. Better get us out of here, hadn't you? You're the one that knows these woods." 

"This way." Ray set out, creeping through the undergrowth on all fours. "Oh, and if we get out of this in one piece, can I try kissing you?" She blushed, grateful that Ace couldn't see her expression. 

"You really don't know what you're letting yourself in for." 

"I know," Ray said. "But I really do want to find out."


End file.
